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Principal - Connie Browning

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Principal Blog - Connie Browning

5/22/2013

As I sit here and try to think of the right words to share my deep appreciation to all of you, the following quote seems fitting: "Don't cry because it's over. SMILE because it happened."

I am so proud of all that has been accomplished during my principalship at Uthoff Valley. As I look around the building, I see happy children that love coming to school. We have an incredible staff that is dedicated, inspired, and so joyful to work with every day. And a parent community, who is supportive and makes a difference for the instruction of the students, and the quality of our school building.

To my students, I would like to say, "Go far, dream big, take a chance to be better than you think possible. If you always take the easy way, you will never know how much you can accomplish." I took a chance coming to UV and leaving my home community. It was the best chance I've ever taken. I'm so happy I dreamed big!

To the UV staff, I have felt supported each day and even when things were tough for us. We have made such a great school together that focuses on student achievement, but maintains a caring school environment that not only builds academically successful students, but citizens with good character. This can only happen with us working together. We may have the title of a National School of Character, but this is truly a school of character because of the work we accomplish together. As your principal I couldn't be more proud of a group of people. You are truly amazing!

The PTO and parents of our Vikings should feel so proud of all the great things they have given to our school. I'm not sure I can name every item that has been provided, but some of the top gifts include; the sound system in the gym, rotunda and library furniture, books and shelving for the leveled library, technology enhancements, AR and Study Island subscriptions, welcome mats, the trophy cabinet, lettering for the rotunda and library, picnic tables, benches, and very soon, new cabinets in classrooms and the lounge. When I walk into our school, I feel proud of the beautiful environment that has been created for our children to learn and grow in as they attend elementary school. Your volunteerism is unparalled.

UV is a hidden gem in Rockwood. We have this wonderful school tucked into a quiet subdivision in Fenton. When we have visitors, they are so impressed with our school, students, and the quality of education we provide. It makes me so proud to say that I have been part of this special school community. Thanks for giving me support as the principal, for the friendship and care you have shown me and for making me feel like this was my home. Thirty years in education and I never knew where my journey would take me. I'm so happy you are part of my professional life journey. "I SMILE every day because it happened!"

With deep appreciation,

Connie Browning

The Very Proud Principal of Uthoff Valley

Posted at 11:51 AM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

4/1/2013

Helping Your Child with Test Preparation

April and May will have the extra emphasis on testing for our students. There are many things you can do as a parent to help your child feel physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for the testing season.

The Physical

Get them fed: The more nutritiously your children eat, the better they will do in school.
Get them moving: Exams cause stress, but sports, exercise and dancing can relieve it.
Get them breathing: Teach your kids a simple breathing exercise that you'll do with them once or twice a day and in times of stress. Take a deep breath, hold to the count of three, then exhale slowly through the nose to the count of 10.
Get them to bed on time: Elementary children need up to 10 hours of sleep each night to do their best in school.

The Mental

Practice their confidence: Practice tests, worksheets or reviewing math facts will help your child feel more prepared.
Unplug already: When it comes to distracting videos, television, telephones, or social media, turn them off when it is study time.

The Emotional

Offer super support: As much as you value good exam grades, it's more important that kids understand that your love and respect for them is not dependent on their test scores.
Review results together: Once the graded exam comes back, sit with your child and review what went right, what didn't, and how to do better next time.

At Uthoff Valley, we feel very confident that the staff, students and parents have worked together to prepare for GATES and MAP testing. These tips are just a reminder for all of us as we enter testing season.

Connie Browning, Principal

Posted at 1:38 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/23/2013

Prop S

The Rockwood School District will be putting a bond issue on the April ballot. Prop S will include safety, technology, and facilities improvements. Please follow the link to view all of the items included in this bond issue.

There are several items that will benefit Uthoff Valley, but the most significant is the renovation of the cafeteria/kitchen space in our school.

Please continue to read and learn about this bond issue for our school and the Rockwood School District.

Posted at 4:20 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/4/2013

New Year's Resolution - Get More Involved!

Dear Parents,

Parent volunteers are abundant at Uthoff Valley, but we hope to involve every parent during the year. If you want to become more involved, please consider being a greater voice on our PTO board. This dedicated group of parents makes a significant and positive impact on the climate, facilities, and culture of Uthoff Valley.

There are several positions that will be open next year. Are you a leader? Susan Boden would love to share her leadership role with you as a co-president. Do you have skills as an accountant, banker, or maintain a good household budget? Then the "treasurers" position may be just your niche. Caring School Communities helps plan free activities for our families and works with our school CSC team to plan First Day Celebration. If you have that caring personality then this may be the place for you. There will be one opening for events. This committee plans many of the fun things students and parents attend throughout the year that help raise funds for UV. If you love to plan "events" this is your opportunity to serve.

We are all busy in our personal lives, but I hope you will consider being on our board to continue the wonderful support that we receive from our PTO.

Just this year, we added a picnic area outside of the cafeteria, new entry mats, new library furniture, and landscaping to improve our facility and make UV an even greater place to learn.

Email me and I will be glad to pass your name along to Jaime Bayes and Susan Boden our co-presidents for 2012-2013. Our goal is to give every parent the opportunity to get involved and share their time and talents to make this an even greater school.

Volunteers Rock at UV!

Connie Browning

Principal

Posted at 2:20 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

School Safety is on Everyone's Mind as we start 2013!

Dear Families,

As we begin 2013, safety is on everyone's mind. Due to the tragedy in Newtown, CT in December, we all think about our own school, students, and community. Several parents emailed me following the news story about Newtown and Sandy Hook Elementary. All of the information shared with me was passed along to our district leaders. Thank you for your thoughts and also for the outpouring of kindness and heartfelt thank you's for the staff at Uthoff Valley. I can't tell you how deeply touched I felt by these emails. As the principal at Uthoff Valley, I know how special each staff member, child and family is to this community and school. It was wonderful to have parents express this as well.

At our Administrative Council meeting this week, principals and other leaders in our district discussed safety as our main topic. We are reviewing what we have in place, what improvements can be made in our schools, and the priorities that should be considered immediately and in the future as funding allows. At Uthoff Valley, we have cameras in our hallways and on the buzzer at the front door. An idea we discussed was to add high resolution cameras on the exterior of our buildings and how Adventure Club could be accessed before and after school when secretaries aren't in the office.

Our office staff have been more diligent in making sure all visitors to UV are asked their name, their purpose for their visit, and to please stop in to the office to sign in before going into the building. The outside doors will be locked from 8:00-4:30 every day. This is a slight change. Prior to this tragedy, we locked our doors at 9:00 and reopened them at 3:45 for dismissal. We know this will be slightly less convenient, for our staff and families, but we greatly appreciate everyone's patience with this new protocol.

Next week, is our annual semester safety drill week. These drills takes place in August and every January after we return from winter break. With the recent tragedy in CT, I thought you would appreciate knowing that we will be conducting these drills. On Monday, Thursday, and Friday, we will be practicing our tornado, fire, earthquake, and intruder drills. Our teachers are reviewing procedures with students and are very attentive to any concerns that they share. For our students, this is just part of the routine. They understand the importance of practicing drills so we can be safe if there is an emergency.

Here is to a safe and happy 2013 for all of our UV families!

Connie Browning

Principal

Posted at 1:09 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (1)

11/29/2012

Picture Rockwood Feedback

Dear UV Families,

Since September, more than 400 Rockwood parents and school community members have attended Picture Rockwood workshops to study the challenges our district is facing and develop a plan for the future of our schools. As your principal, I sincerely appreciate those who have taken the time to become informed and to participate in this important process.

At their last workshop, participants came to consensus on two pictures: an Apple picture and an Orange picture that represent the potential future of our Rockwood schools. Take a moment to view these pictures and learn about the assumptions (reductions, revenue and capital improvements) and descriptions (class sizes, staffing, curriculum, programs and services for students, etc) of each picture.

After reviewing the two potential pictures, it is important for you to share your feedback. You can do this in a variety of ways.

Submit your feedback online when you visit Picture Rockwood: Phase 2 Feedback and click on the “Share Your Feedback” link.
Download the feedback form and return it to our school office.
Email your answers to the questions to the citizen-led Facilitating Team at picturerockwood@rockwood.k12.mo.us.
Fax your answers to the questions to (636) 458-7326.

The citizen co-chairs and Facilitating Team will review all comments prior to making final recommendations on pictures to the Board of Education next month. All feedback must be received by Dec. 14.

Thank you for your continued support of this important process. We are sharing the details of these pictures with every member of the community, and we’re asking you to tell us how they can be improved. It is important that our school community has a voice in the future of our school.

Connie Browning

Principal

Posted at 10:27 AM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/7/2012

Parent Teacher Conference Survey

Parents,

First of all, let me thank each of you for attending parent/teacher conferences. We have met with almost every parent in our building. Our goal is 100% and we are very close to meeting our goal.

We tried a new format by setting up conferences in the gym and cafeteria this year. During conferences, we surveyed parents to get feedback on this conference format. Sixty-three parents completed the survey. Interestingly, we had about a 50/50 split from parents sharing if they liked or disliked this format. Of the 63 parents that completed the survey, 31 loved it and 32 disliked conferences held this way.

The reasons parents liked this format include:

Convenience of meeting with special area teachers
Time to get to different teachers if you have children in multiple grade levels
Very organized way of conducting conferences
Format helped keep things on track

Reasons parents disliked the format include:

Privacy concern
Too noisy, distracting, not personal
Like to see the classrooms
Confidentiality

Teachers have provided feedback as well and we will be discussing all of the pros/cons of this format. One idea that has been shared is to have fall conferences in the classroom and spring conferences using the gym/cafeteria format. Please let me know if you are interested in trying this idea next year in 2013-2014.

Sincerely,

Connie Browning

Principal

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10/22/2012

Top Six Things You Need to Know About Rockwood

Top Six Things You Need to Know About Rockwood

I hope you’ve taken the time to attend the Picture Rockwood workshops. This community engagement process is providing parents and patrons the opportunity to take an active role in determining what our school district will look like in the future.

I’d like to share some key facts about the school district. When I share these facts with parents and patrons they are surprised, especially considering the high quality education we offer our students.

Fact 1 – Class sizes: Rockwood classrooms have an average of 19 students to one teacher (19:1). The district’s teacher-to-student ratio ranks 18^th out of 22 St. Louis County school districts. The district is in a four-way tie for 18^th place as all other school districts have lower ratios, with the exception of Riverview Gardens with a 21:1 ratio.

Fact 2 – Curriculum: Budget cuts have stalled the implementation of curriculum revisions. This hampers district efforts to prepare students for college and careers, and the new assessments mandated by the state beginning in 2014‐2015.

Fact 3 – Technology: Education continues to shift to online resources. The district needs infrastructure to support students who would be able to bring their own technology devices to school to support their learning.

Fact 4 – Staffing: Rockwood ranks 13th out of 22 St. Louis County school districts for its average teacher compensation. The district ranks near the bottom, 17th out of 22 area school districts, for its average compensation for principals and administrators. Recruiting and retaining high quality staff can be a challenge given our financial constraints.

Fact 5 – Bond Issues: For more than a decade, Rockwood has relied on bond issues to fund school building maintenance, renovations and technology.

Fact 6 – Finances: The current operating budget does not adequately fund curriculum revisions, building and technology maintenance, and competitive salaries and benefits. Rockwood is facing a $6.6 million deficit in the operating budget next year, and we’re looking at ways to trim the budget even further. This is on top of the $22 million we’ve already cut from the budget since 2008.

These facts, along with others, were presented in the State-of-the-District presentation at the first Picture Rockwood Workshop.

In the second series of workshops, participants reviewed eight different pictures to address budget cuts and sources of revenue. You can review the pictures presented by the citizen-led facilitating team in Workshop 2.

Now it’s your turn. Download a special invitation to attend the third workshop series that will be held on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1.

There are tough choices to be made in this Picture Rockwood workshop, and the goal of this process is to hear the many voices in our school community so we can do what’s best for students. Please give me a call if you have any questions.

Connie Browning

Posted at 2:07 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/19/2012

Parent Teacher Conference

Important Conference Information:

Dear Parents,

Next week is parent/teacher conferences at Uthoff Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. We look forward to visiting with you about your child's progress so far this year. Last year, we had the opportunity to have conferences at the middle school in their gymnasium because of an electrical issue at UV. Teachers and parents shared positive feedback about the set up of conferences in the gym. Our first-fifth grade teachers and special area teachers want to try this set up for fall conferences. So, when you come to meet with your child's teacher, 1st, 2nd, and Special Education teachers will have tables set up in the cafeteria and 3rd, 4th, 5th, RI, Art, Music, PE, and Strings teachers will have tables set up in the gym. The only teachers in classrooms will be our kindergarten teachers. During conferences, you are invited to stop by the library and visit with Mrs. Julie Owens. She will be available to help parents with AR questions. All of the classrooms except kindergarten will be closed for the evening.

Please encourage your child to bring a book to read if they have to attend conferences with you. There will be chairs set up in the gym and café’ for parents and students. Students and families are encouraged to visit the book fair in the rotunda and there are reading nooks in the library for students. Please remind your child that they should not be on the playground during conferences. There will not be supervision and we don’t want anyone to get hurt or be unattended by an adult.

We hope this conference set-up will be as positive as our experience at RSMS last fall. Following your conferences with teachers, please fill out a survey to let us know if you liked this conference set-up. The survey box will be located outside of the gym and café’ for your feedback.

Sincerely,

Connie Browning

& Uthoff Valley Teachers

Posted at 12:19 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Viking News | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/3/2012

Good Choices

Dear Families,

We know that parents have a HUGE influence on their children’s behavior. They may not be able to prevent their children from making poor choices, but they can minimize the likelihood by being educated and proactive. Studies prove this. Surveys support this. Rockwood kids tell us this. And, evidence from years’ of “Guiding Good Choices” participants demonstrate this.

Do your children a favor and set aside some of your very precious time to attend a 5-session “Guiding Good Choices” parenting class. Classes will be held in the LaSalle Springs Middle School library on five consecutive Thursdays, beginning October 11th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Rockwood Counselor Cathy Kraemer will facilitate the program geared for elementary and middle school parents. The class is FREE and offered by the Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition. To register, contact Renee Heney at 636-733-2136.

Please click on the hotlink above for a flyer.

Connie Browning

Principal

Posted at 4:51 PM by Connie Browning | Category: Complete the parent input form | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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